I feel like I'm in something of a time warp at the moment. I have no idea how long it has been since I updated, but it feels like I've been writing the same chapter for months.

Chapter 8: Fifth Year- Grimmauld Place

The first few days at Grimmauld Place passed in that odd timeless fashion typical of long boring days which someone filled with things you really didn't want to do. As Harry was helping Ron and Hermione clean out a very angry cupboard in one of the small sitting rooms in the old house Harry wished instead he could talk to Merlin.

Ron and Hermione had both been utterly astounded and slightly disbelieving that Merlin, or 'The Merlin' as Ron called him, was not only still alive, but under the same roof and generally interested in Harry's wellbeing.

The mysterious old man had stayed in his room, coming down only for meals where he was immediately pulled into conversation with whichever member of the Order was there that night. Not that any of the Order seemed to trust Merlin; they spent most of their time interrogating him.

Distracted by his musing Harry didn't notice Ron drop an exceedingly vicious jewellery box which promptly launched itself at Harry's face. The heavy wooden box slammed into Harry's cheekbone and knocked him backwards, flailing about with his arms in an attempt to get the box to let go of his hair. Hermione jumped up and tried to pull the box away, but only succeeded in getting wacked in the nose by Harry's wildly waving hands.

As quickly as the attack started, it ended when the box spontaneously combusted. The three of them sat stock still in utter shock for a moment before turning slowly towards the door. Merlin stood in the door way with one hand raised, palm facing them. The ashes of the box slowly settled in Harry's hair, Ron sneezed.

Merlin grinned down at them. "What are you doing?" He asked.

Harry sat up and handed one of the cleaner rags to Hermione to try and slow the gushing blood from her nose. Ron stared open mouthed until Merlin crossed his eyes at him.

"We're cleaning; apparently this place has been accumulating...stuff since Sirius went to Azkaban." Harry said, suddenly nervous. He had wanted to talk to Merlin for so long but now that he was standing here Harry had no idea what to say.

"I see." Merlin bent to examine the sack which held the results of their clean out. "Enjoying yourselves?"

"Loads." Harry drawled.

Merlin chuckled and settled himself carefully into one of the less dangerous chairs in the room. "I've been meaning to talk to you Harry." He said calmly.

Harry got to his feet, followed by his two friends Hermione still holding the rag to her bleeding nose. "Yeah I wanted to talk to you too." He admitted.

Merlin nodded. "I would have done this sooner, but apparently the Order weren't as convinced of my identify as they let on that first night. They've been quizzing me." He gave a surprisingly cheeky smile. "They've agreed somewhat reluctantly that I must indeed be Merlin." Harry didn't ask what he'd done to prove that to Dumbledore and the others. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. "But apparently you don't have any trouble believing me."

"It's a pretty ridiculous lie." Ron muttered. That had been Ron and Harry's biggest argument against Hermione determination to disbelieve Merlin. What idiot would tell a story that ridiculous unless it was the truth.

Merlin grinned. "Fair point. I'm assuming you have some questions?"

Harry nodded carefully. "You said that you made the spell that protected me, but that means you were there when my parents were killed. Why didn't you save them?"

Merlin's brilliant blue eyes dulled with sadness. "Harry please understand that until a few months ago I had no intention of ever letting you know that I was alive or in existence, let alone that I was helping you. When I found out that Voldemort was going to your house I watched through a...scrying crystal."
Harry narrowed his eyes at the pause, but Merlin continued and Harry pushed it to the back of his mind. "I watched as your parents were killed, trying to convince myself that it wasn't my place to interfere. That was until Voldemort tried to kill you. You were a baby, no more than a year old and screaming out for your mother. I couldn't let you die. Your mother had died for you and that gave me what I needed. So I nudged the magic to protect you."

"Nudged?" Hermione asked, slowly pulling the rag away from her face. "You mean you didn't actually use magic?"

Merlin frowned and his eyes unfocused. "I did use magic, but I use it differently to you. You have to use your wand to channel your power, I don't. I suppose you could say that I use magic in its raw form. Still what matters is that the spell protected you, Harry and destroyed Voldemort. At least temporarily."

"But you watched me?" Harry asked quietly, thinking that surely Merlin could have done something to make his life with the Dursley's, if not better at least bearable.

Merlin shook his head. "No, not until you started going to Hogwarts. I have to admit that until you turned eleven I had almost forgotten you even existed." He sighed. "It's been a very long time since I was involved with magical people in any way other that at the periphery. After I..." he shook his head and perked up. "That's not important."

"Why didn't you kill You-Know-Who at the end of last year?" Ron jumped in, thankfully before the silence became awkward. "Harry told us what happened and apparently you were beating them."

Merlin shrugged. "It's not my destiny to defeat Voldemort."

"But it's mine?" Harry demanded.

Merlin frowned. "That is a point I'm going to bring up at dinner tonight."

"But you did defeat him last year in the graveyard; why not just finish him off while you could. Think of all the damage he's going to do to the wizarding world." Hermione cried, throwing her hands in the air in frustration.

Merlin sighed. "Like I said, it's not my destiny to defeat Voldemort." Harry got the feeling that this was Merlin's final word on the subject, at least for the moment. "Harry I am here to help you, I know you don't really know who I am and you have no reason to trust me, but I promise you that I will do everything in my power to help you defeat Voldemort."

An awkward silence fell over the group. Harry and Hermione were seething quietly. Ron had twitched violently at Voldemort's name and was now frowning in thought, while Merlin watched all of them a little sadly.

"What isn't the Order telling me?" Harry finally demanded.

Merlin grinned. "I'd imagine quite a lot, but I'm afraid at the moment I can't tell you anything because they haven't told me anything. Like I said, most of them don't even truly believe that I'm who I say I am."

At this point their conversation was interrupted by Mrs Weasley's arrival. "Well now all done?" She asked, starting as Merlin got to his feet. "Oh...Merlin of course, nice to see you about..." She didn't look happy to find the old man alone in a room with the three of them. That look suggested that Harry's suspicions that the Order didn't want him and Merlin talking were correct.

With a sly smile and a wave Merlin left the room, hobbling slightly and chuckling to himself. Mrs Weasley gave his back a concerned look. "A very strange man." She muttered before bustling Harry, Ron and Hermione off to another corner and another cupboard.

Harry was more than a little surprised to find Dumbledore at dinner that night. Their Headmaster had never come to the overcrowded Headquarters dinners before. However when Harry and Ron arrived from hiding in their room there he was seated politely at the table while Mrs Weasley fussed with the place settings.

Merlin was already seated in his usual position at the other end of the table. The old sorcerer was watching Dumbledore with a calculating look on his face. Harry and Ron exchanged a glance as they sat either side of Hermione. At a guess this was going to be one of the most interesting dinners Harry had ever been to, and he'd blown up his aunt once.

By the time dinner was served and everyone was eating Harry's suspicions had died down. Merlin appeared to be eating quietly by himself, while Dumbledore was holding an amusing conversation with Lupin.

As Mrs Weasley sent the dishes into the sink to wash themselves Merlin cleared his throat in an obvious way. Silence went around the table like the 'flu.

Merlin was looking at Dumbledore and once again Harry had the strong impression that a massive contest of wills was going on. "Well since I haven't heard anything I'm going to assume you believe me. So I'm going to give you some advice. Take it to heart. You should fill Harry in on the prophecy."

The confused look that Harry threw around the table was mirrored by the younger Weasley's and Hermione. The adults on the other hand looked furious.

Mrs Weasley slammed her fist against the table. "You have no right to say something like that, he's a boy."

"I was barely older than him when I was informed my destiny was to protect the greatest King this land would ever produce. Destiny doesn't give a fig's pyjamas about age or status, if it has a plan for you then that's your lot." Merlin snapped back at them.

"What prophecy?" Harry asked. He was completely ignored, which didn't impress him at all.

Dumbledore turned to face Merlin, effectively turning his back to Harry. "How are you aware of this?" He asked calmly, though Harry was sure he could hear an edge of anger to Dumbledore's voice.

"I know a lot more than you think." Merlin replied calmly folding his arms across his chest.

"You have proven nothing to us. We haven't seen you perform magic, in fact every historical text we can find claims that you died." Dumbledore leant forward and steepled his fingers in front of his face.

"That's because all the historical texts were written by the Lady of Camelot and her Knights and they were pretty willing to do anything I asked them to." There was a note of sadness in Merlin's voice which startled Harry. Still he was getting pretty damn sick of being talked over.

"HEY, WHAT PROPHECY!" Harry yelled. When everyone turned to look at him, Harry found himself satisfied. "What prophecy are you talking about? I'm sick of not knowing things. I deserve to know. I'm the one Voldemort wants to kill."

"That is information that is..." Mrs Weasley started.

"Oh be quiet Molly. Harry's right, it's about time we filled him in." Sirius finally cut in.

"Sirius..." Dumbledore's voice held an obvious note of warning.

"Tell him, don't tell him. I don't care, because if you don't then I will." Merlin said firmly.

Silence reigned for a whole minute where Harry could feel the tension in the air like static electricity.

"Very well." Dumbledore finally relented.

Harry threw a grateful glance Merlin's way. The old man returned his glance with a wink from under bushy eyebrows.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and glanced at the others. "Perhaps this would be best for Harry's ears alone."

Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and Hermione immediately voiced their objections. Harry grabbed Hermione and Ron's sleeves and pulled them back into their seats. "No offense sir, but I'll fill them all in anyway."

Dumbledore looked at Harry sternly over his half-moon glasses. He finally shook his head with a faint smile. "Your loyalty is commendable Harry; I can only hope it will help you on the road to come."

He fell into another moment of contemplative silence. "Fifteen years ago I was interviewing a new teacher. The now Professor Trelawney. I had originally thought that she was nothing but a charlatan. Most of those who claim that they speak and see the future are. However just as I was getting up to leave her words changed. Instead of the airy tone which I believe you are familiar with..." Here Dumbledore paused to exchange knowing look with Ron and Harry who both rolled their eyes. They were both familiar with Trelawney's so called prophecies.

Dumbledore continued. "Instead she spoke with a harsh tone, and her words rather stuck in my head." Harry shivered slightly, remembering the strange and slightly terrifying prophecy Trelawney had given him in his third year. "She spoke of a child, born as the seventh month died. Who would be the only one who would be able to defeat Voldemort. In fact according to the prophecy Voldemort would mark this boy as his equal and that this boy would have a power that the Dark Lord knows not."

Swallowing nervously Harry took a deep breath before he asked his next question. "Me?"

"Yes, there is no doubt about it." As though for confirmation, Dumbledore glanced at Merlin who simply nodded once. Everyone else at the table was silent all eyes on Harry.

"Why me?" Harry asked desperately. "And why haven't you told me before this?"

"I didn't want to put such a heavy burden on your still young shoulders. Please understand that this prophecy is not something that we can change."

"You mean that I'm on my own?' Harry said quietly. His heart was racing. He had always known that Voldemort wanted to kill him, but he had always thought that it was for revenge. He had never imagined there would be something which singled him out for destruction.

"We're with you mate." Ron piped up immediately. Hermione squeezed Harry's hand firmly.

Merlin chuckled sadly. "Accept all the help you can get Harry. Take it from me, going it alone is hard and almost never ends in a success you can be happy with."

"So this weapon that Sirius mentioned it's me?" Harry finally asked.

Mrs Weasley gasped. "Of course not dear."

"Then what is it?" Harry demanded.

"The prophecy itself. Voldemort heard only the first part of the prophecy, the part which detailed who would destroy him. It is the reason that he attacked you and your parents. He didn't know and still doesn't know the end of the prophecy which details your additional power."

"So what is this power the Dark Lord knows not?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know." Dumbledore admitted, turning to look at Merlin. "Do you have any ideas?"

Merlin smoothed his beard over. "No. But there is still time." He looked seriously over at Harry. "So now you know as much as we do."

"What now?" Harry asked, looking around at the silent faces of the Order. He was feeling particularly overwhelmed. He had wanted to know, but now that he did Harry just wanted to forget.

"You leave it to us Harry. The Order is better positioned and better equipped to protect you and the prophecy than you are." Lupin insisted. "For the moment, you are our back up plan."

Harry looked around the table. The adults were quiet, their expressions half-way between angry and worried. The younger people at the table looked fascinated and horrified. Only Merlin, silent and half hidden in the shadows at the end of the table, had an unreadable expression on his face. Finally Harry nodded. "Alright, but only for now." Merlin was right, there was no way to change the prophecy. He had always known that Voldemort was going to come after him and now Harry knew why.

Next time Voldemort tried to hurt his friends or kill him, Harry would be ready. This time only one of them was coming out alive.

Hell yeah Harry!

Ehem, sorry. I got a bit excited there.

I know it's only a short chapter, but I'm trying not to write really long chapters because that way you get more frequent updates.